X-ray imaging is a valuable technology for non-destructive imaging applications in medicine and industrial research and development.
All x-ray imaging systems include a source that generates the x-ray beam, which is used to probe the object to be examined, and a detector system for collecting the x-ray beam. The x-ray source is typically an electron-bombardment, a laser-plasma, or a synchrotron radiation source. The detector system is typically based on x-ray film or an electronic, such as charge-coupled device (CCD), detector. In some cases, an intervening scintillator is used to convert the x-ray radiation to a wavelength that is detectable by the detector device.
Further, the x-ray beam is often modified by one or more beam-conditioning devices. Sometimes an energy filter, monochromator, or pinholes are place between the object or sample and the source. To focus the beam onto the sample a condenser lens, in the case of a full-field imaging microscope, or an objective lens, in the case of a scanning system, are typically used. The beam passing through the sample is then imaged to the detector by an objective lens, in the case of a full-field imaging microscope, or reaches the detector directly in the case of a scanning system.